This Expat Life (Month 46): Living in Ho Chi Minh City
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts February, March, and April.
It’s weird. I started off the month of May surrounded by family here in Ho Chi Minh City, and I ended it sitting all by my lonesome, typing away this monthly roundup post in a Saigon café. Last month, may only have been 31 days long but I feel like so much happened, like so much changed. It’s hard to believe that it was all crammed into such a short amount of time.
Here’s what I got up to during the month of May:
Traveling to Mui Ne
As I mentioned last month, Aaron’s parents came to visit us in Vietnam at the end of April. They were here for nearly two weeks, so after spending nearly one week in Saigon we all needed a break from the city. We figured a trip to the beach would be the perfect reprieve, so we made some impromptu plans to visit the beautiful beach town of Mui Ne in central Vietnam.
I’ll be writing about my trip in more depth at a later date but I was kind of shocked by how much I liked Mui Ne. Sometimes Vietnam’s touristy beach destinations can be hit or miss, but we happened to catch Mui Ne at the perfect time.
It wasn’t crowded at all, the weather was great and our hotel was beautiful. It was just such a nice getaway and I think it’s safe to say everyone enjoyed themselves!
Exploring Saigon like a true tourist
One thing that I love about having people visit is that I get to do touristy things. It sounds odd, but when you actually live in a foreign city, you tend to not do super touristy things. At least that’s been my experience. So we hit up some of the bigger tourist attractions – the Binh Thanh Market, Reunification Palace, a few temples in Cholon (Saigon’s Chinatown). We also took a boat tour along the Saigon River. I literally didn’t know you could do this until they visited. It was so cool seeing other parts of HCMC and glimpsing the city’s skyline at sunset.
Saying goodbye to Aaron’s parents
During the past four years we’ve lived in Asia, we’ve never had any family visit us. So the fact that Aaron’s parents made the very long trek from California to HCMC meant a whole lot to us. And after spending so much time together it was really odd to say goodbye to them.
I suppose saying goodbye wasn’t quite as hard for Aaron, since he’s literally in California with his parents, eating Mexican food as I write this post. But because I’m not exactly sure when I’m going to be able to make it back to the US, it made saying goodbye a lot more difficult for me. While I love living abroad, I hate being so far away from family.
Missing my mom’s 75th birthday
It was a big birthday for my mom and I wasn’t there to celebrate it with her. Luckily she was able to spend some time with my sister in Boulder, Colorado, for the occasion, but it was hard for me to be so far away. If I could have flown to Boulder to surprise her, I would have.
Celebrating my 36th birthday
That’s right. I turned the big 3-6 last month. And as always it was a cheese and Champagne-fueled occasion. Thanks Aaron! (But next year feel free to take me to Florence so we can eat all the Pecorino…just saying!)
Experiencing HCMC’s rainy season
I knew the rainy season was coming, but I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I mean, I have lived in Phnom Penh so I know all about living through Southeast Asia’s monsoon season. But the rainstorms – or shall I say thunderstorms – in Saigon are something special.
Yes, the rain is crazy but the lightning storms are incredible and terrifying all at once. The other night lightning hit so close to our apartment it literally rattled our doors! Aaron and I have a pretty incredible view from our place. And now that the rainy season is upon us, one of my favorite things to do is to watch the show from our balcony. I only wish I were a better photographer so I could capture an image!
Overheating day in and day out
In other weather news, Saigon was blisteringly hot in May. During the day the temperature would hover around 95 degrees but the “feels like” temperature would be around 115. I usually cope with heat fairly well, but even I stopped going out midday unless I absolutely had to. I felt like I was always sweating and it doesn’t help that the AC unit in our living room – where I do most of my work – doesn’t actually emit cold air. I’m pretty sure I averaged three showers a day in May. It’s still hot, but at least the rain cools things down!
Construction woes
Do I have the worst luck with apartments or what? I lived below an illegal workshop and the world’s most annoying family in Jakarta, next to two construction sites in Phnom Penh, in a literal construction site in Beijing, and across from a major construction site during my first month in HCMC.
As an expat in Asia, construction is the bane of my existence, so finding a quiet place to live and work from in HCMC was crucial for my sanity. So the second I heard the hammering and drilling start in my apartment a couple weeks ago, my heart dropped… actually it started beating really fast. Turns out my neighbors are renovating their apartment. Hopefully it doesn’t take too long?
Booking tickets to Indonesia
That’s right! Next week I’ll be back in one of my favorite countries in the world. Aaron and I will be starting off our two-week trip in Kuta, Lombok, and then very likely making our way to Bali. There’s something about Indonesia that feels like home to me, so I’m incredibly excited to return. Plus, I’ve never been to Lombok before (aside from the Gili Islands) so I’m jazzed to explore a new part of Indo.
Coping with being alone
This probably sounds weird to most of you, but Aaron and I spend a lot of time together. We’ve been together since we were 18, traveled the world together, gone through four years of expat living together and so much more. So yeah, we’re around each other a lot. He’s currently back in the States visiting family and attending a conference for work. In total, he’ll be gone for two whole weeks!
I’m pretty sure this is the longest we’ve been apart since I took a 5-week trip to Europe in 2004. And because I don’t really know many people in HCMC, being alone all the time has been a bit weird. But hey, it’s OK. That being said, I am super jealous that he’s currently hanging out with friends and family while I’m stuck in HCMC. It makes me miss everyone back home even more!
Blogging
In between working and everything else that was going on in May, I did manage to eke out a few blog posts:
7 Incredible Things to Do in Amed, Bali: Amed is arguably the prettiest place in Bali. Seriously, just look at the photos in this post and I’m pretty sure you’ll be convinced too!
Is Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island Worth Visiting?: Phu Quoc was once a destination famous for its beautiful, deserted beaches. But the island has become super touristy in recent years and the development is rampant. A lot of people wonder if it’s still worth visiting, so I figured I’d give my two cents!
My two most popular posts were of pho and the Gili Islands…two of my favorite things!
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Where in the world are you? What did you get up to last month?
